Baltimore Accepts Offer for Fraction of the Opioid Settlement It Sought
6 min read
Firmly standing in solidarity with those who use drugs in Baltimore and beyond.
Baltimore's windfall of restitution funds isn't as much as you think
Baltimore is slated to receive $580 million total in restitution funds after the city accepted an offer from the judge in the case against McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. That seems like a lot of money — until you put it in context.
As Trump targets Baltimore’s unsheltered population and harm reduction funding, Mayor Scott offers many words, few actions
Mayor Brandon Scott has appeared on national television five times this week to rebut Trump’s lies about violent crime, but he still hasn’t detailed a plan to protect Baltimoreans dealing with homelessness and substance use disorder.
Maryland is without any harm reduction training program after dropping Baltimore nonprofit
Since July 1, there has been no organization helming the Maryland Department of Health’s statewide harm reduction training program, and all harm reduction training modules have been scrubbed from the internet.
Judge Offers Baltimore $100 million for OD Crisis—Far Less Than City Sought
The August 8 decision was not a complete surprise. In a June ruling, Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Lawrence P. Fletcher-Hill had indicated the city would not receive nearly as much as it had hoped.
Dollar signs and discourse mean nothing without decisive action on OD crisis
The influx of public discourse about Baltimore's overdose crisis has been a welcome and undoubtedly positive change. Yet without action, those who use drugs will continue to die at astronomical rates.
Harm reduction is not just a means to a sober end
Baltimore officials appear to view harm reduction as a means to an end. In other words, it's just a way to keep people alive until they can get sober. That may be the case for some, but it's a dangerous conclusion to draw.
